Attendance in Princeton Public Schools shall be free to any person over five and under twenty years of age who is domiciled within or is otherwise considered a legal resident of Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, or Cranbury Township (high school attendance only). Those who meet this requirement include:

a. Students who are living with a parent or guardian whose permanent home is located within the district.

b. Students who are living with a person, other than the parent or guardian, who is domiciled within the boundaries of the district and is supporting the child without compensation because the parent cannot support the student due to family or economic hardship.

c. Students who are living with a person domiciled within the boundaries of the district where the parent is a member of the NJ National Guard or the reserve component of the US armed forces and has been ordered into active military services in the US armed forces in time of war or emergency.

d. Students who are living with a parent or guardian who is temporarily residing within the boundaries of the district.

e. Students who are the child of a parent or guardian who moveto another district as the result of being homeless.

f. Students who are under the guardianship of the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services and have been placed in a residence within the boundaries of the district.

g. Students who have been placed by court order in the home of someone who lives within the boundaries of the district.

2. Proof of Eligibility

At the time of registration, families will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to enroll a student in Princeton Public Schools. Proofs of eligibility may include but are not limited to a lease, mortgage or deed; property tax bill; utility bill; letter from Princeton University Housing, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton Theological Seminary or other agency/person supporting the residence; court order; or placement directive. The documentation provided will be evaluated and if acceptable, the student will be determined eligible to enroll and attend school.

If inaccurate documents or no proof of residency is provided, the student will not be permitted to enroll at that time. If the documentation provided is incomplete or insufficient, the student will be permitted provisional enrollment. This will enable the student to attend school for a period of 30 calendar days while the appropriate documentation of residency/domicile is gathered. If documentation is not presented to the district within the 30 calendar day period, the student may be excluded from attending school until such documentation is provided.

3. In-eligibility to Attend

The district reserves the right to investigate any student’s residency status where there is reason to believe that the student may not be legally domiciled. This investigation may result in a hearing before the Board of Education, or a committee of the Board of Education,where the family will have the opportunity to further explain the circumstances of their residence and provide any additional proof of domicile, which would entitle the student to attend Princeton Public Schools.

Should the district discover that a child is not a legal resident of the district and is illegally attending the Princeton Public Schools, the district will assess the parents the full cost of the tuition for any period of ineligible attendance. This tuition charge shall be the same as the charge for regular tuition studentsas approved annually by the Board of Education, in accordance with the New Jersey Department of Education formula. Any additional costs for special education services will be added to this figure.

The decision of the Board can be appealed to the Commissioner of Education in accordance with the procedures of the New Jersey Department of Education division of Controversies and Disputes.

4. Procedures

The Superintendent will establish procedures for registration of students including written notification of: theregistration process, eligibility or ineligibility to enroll, provisional enrollment status, ineligibility to attend, and rights and provisions of the appeal process.

Legal Reference(s)

• N.J.S.A. 18A:38-1 Attendance at School Free of Charge

• N.J.S.A. 18A:38-2 Free Attendance at School by Nonresidents Placed in District Under Court Order

• N.J.S.A 18A:38-3b Attendance at school by nonresidents

• N.J.A.C. 6A:3-8.1 et seq. Controversies and Disputes

• N.J.A.C 6A 17-2.4 Students at Risk of Not Receiving a Public Education: Responsibilities of district of residence

• N.J.A.C 6A:28-2 Entitlement to Attend School based on Domicile or Residency in District